PR as a podcast marketing channel with Joni Deutsch

Show notes:

Timestamps

1:08 Tips for broadcasters entering the podcast space
07:32 How to establish relationships with podcast platforms
12:01 On specialization within podcast marketing teams
15:01 How to develop your podcast audience on a budget
18:15 PR as a podcast marketing channel
25:57 On turning things around when your audience growth is stalling
30:00 Podglomerate’s podcast launch/takeover framework

Key ideas:

Tips for broadcasters entering the podcast space

– Linear content doesn’t always translate well to podcasting.
– Linear radio listeners tend to skew older. Podcast audiences are younger and more diverse. This should inform the content strategy across channels. You can’t just recycle content.
– Radio and podcasts tend to be consumed at different times. This dictates the ideal time to release episodes. Radio consumption peaks during breakfast and commute, but it’s totally different for on-demand audio.
– Radio has more constraints: it must be produced for precise time blocks. There are regulations about the type of content that can be broadcasted.
– Example of radio content repackaging for podcasting: offer raw/uncensored interviews in a podcast format and encourage listeners to check out that long-form content. This is a great way to re-engage with your audience, get them to consume more of your content, and anchor on-demand in their habits.
– Podcasts and smart speakers take a growing share of the audio pie. Broadcasters must train their radio audience to follow them and find them elsewhere.

How to establish relationships with podcast platforms

– Think about what you can give to your cross-promotional partners. It’s a two-way street.
– Identify your entry points at these companies.
– How? Search on LinkedIn (looking for people working on the editorial team at Apple Podcasts, for instance).
– Once you’ve identified the right contact person, do your research to find the common interest, the commonality.
– You can also offer to assist them with something they’re working on.
– Find the unique angle about your shows that will spark the editorial team’s interest (see Pride Month for Private Parts).

Resources to do your research:
– Podcast newsletters like Podnews & Inside Podcasting.
– Listen to podcasts on podcasting.
– Follow podcast influencers on Twitter.
– Maybe the people you want to connect with are thought leaders. They might publish content like articles and blog posts or appear as speakers in webinars and conferences.

– Free options to reach out: LinkedIn or Twitter DMs
– Rocketreach is a great paid option to find the contact info of relevant people at these organizations if you want to send emails.

Three important points:
– Reach out in an authentic way
– Don’t spam. You don’t want to “yell in their inbox for attention.”
– These relationships take time to build. Start networking now.

On specialization within podcast marketing teams

– In 2014, Babbel already had someone in charge of the relationship with app stores
– As the podcast industry matures, similar functions start to appear in podcast marketing teams
– As mentioned, building these relationships takes time. A shortcut consists of working with agencies like Podglomerate and leveraging the existing relationships they have built with major podcast platforms.

How to develop your podcast audience on a budget

Answers from previous episodes:
– promo swaps
– submitting your show to Castbox and Overcast
– Leveraging your assets: social media accounts, your newsletter

Joni’s take:
– Where is your audience going for news, information, and entertainment? You must first identify and research your ideal listener (age, region, interest). This will determine your marketing strategy.
– Even if you don’t have a marketing budget, you’re still investing your time, so spend it wisely.
– PR.

More on PR and podglomerate's podcast launch framework available here:
https://voxalyze.com/resources/podcast/pr-podcast-marketing-channel-joni-deutsch?